A protozoan's worth
by Eden Raid
Summary: A protozoan may seem like an everyday creature. However, a certain protozoan's worth is far greater than any other... Review Responses Updated December 29, 05.


**Authoress' Notes: Many spoilers of the Kharlan War, and a few characters! You don't want to read it, if you don't want to be spoiled about these things. Anyway, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anyone in this fanfiction! Namco owns them! **

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"Are you going to come in or not?" A voice rang out as a figure dressed in various colors and belts turned around.

"… Not yet." He replied, turning back around.

The voice objected again, "but it's pouring outside! If you catch a cold, it's not my fault!"

"No, it won't be your fault, Mithos. I'll explain it to your sister once I get back in."

Without any other objections, the younger one closed the door of the cabin they have made shelter of. It was in the middle of their journey, and it had happened to just rain and eventually became a storm. Of course, Martel was inside cooking, and Yuan and Mithos were glaring at each other with death glares. However, Kratos was only out in the muddy storm, looking ahead towards a forest, for some unknown reason.

Mithos only grew impatient with going on with his swordsmanship training. Kratos had only started teaching him recently, and he didn't want his so-called master to become sick. Well, even though it may not be the young half-elf's fault, he sure will blame Kratos if he caught some kind of cold. Especially if he passed it onto the others, and got them sick. If that happened, namely, to Martel, he would literally kill Kratos, even though he was about 14 years younger… in fact, two times younger than him. Besides…

He was only human.

* * *

"Martel? Is the food ready?" Mithos asked out of curiosity as his stomach growled and growled for food. 

"Almost, Mithos. Wait for a little longer, younger brother," she replied, wiping her forehead of sweat coming from the fireplace Yuan had helped lit, "it's meat tonight, just in case anyone was curious."

"No wonder it smelled so… different, compared to the other food." Yuan spoke, not knowing what else to say.

"Are you calling my sister a bad cook!" Questioned Mithos, growing a little edgy.

Yuan frowned, "'course not, you little runt!"

"Of course you **are**! I can't even name **one **reason, why I should even be related to you once y-you... marry Martel!" Even the thought of being 'half-related' so far to Yuan had made Mithos digusted...

"Yuan! Mithos! Please stop with the argument!"

"Sorry, Martel…" They both replied in defeat and unison.

* * *

Kratos continued to stare out in the forest, his eyes void of any other attention. He squinted for a moment, before running inside.

* * *

"Where's Kratos, anyway? Shouldn't you be training with him?" Yuan asked stubbornly. 

"It's raining, you idiot! How can you possibly train in a storm!" Mithos yelled, causing the other half-elf to frown at him even harder than last time.

"I can train in a storm, so why don't you try?"

"Grrr, I'll get sick! I don't want to get sick! In fact, I want **you **to get sick so you can stop telling me what to do!"

Martel sighed and turned to face the males, "please don't argue, you two. I keep losing concentration for making food...! I'll end up burning it like the food from yesterday..."

Yuan glared at the younger half-elf, "yeah, what she said; let's stop."

Mithos only rolled his eyes. Soon after, he got up from the chair he had been sitting on and stomped off outside. Martel only sighed as the blue haired half-elf looked at her for a moment, and then started after him.

_"Stupid kid, who told you to go out... although I did sort of force him into that decision..." _he thought as he ran off into the forest, shielding his eyes from the storm with his hands as he looked around for a sign of either purple or yellow.

* * *

"Whine, whine, whine." 

"Hmm..."

* * *

Mithos had managed to find a shelter under a rather large tree, crouching half-way down so that he wouldn't get his cloths dirty. He didn't want Martel to have extra work, after all. And Yuan wasn't being helpful in anything he was doing at the moment. In fact, he just wanted to strangle Yuan right where he stood. 

_"Brother? **Him**? I don't think so!" _He practically screamed in his mind, the very thought of Yuan being related to him rushing through once more.

"Hey, Mithos! Kratos! Anyone there?" A voice shouted out, piercing through the very noise of the storm.

"Darn, it's Yuan." Mithos muttered under his breath as he shuffled to his feet and ran off.

* * *

Yuan ran down the murky path-way, making sure not to trip as he observed the surrounding. He couldn't help but curse at the situation. His cloths were getting wet and dirty, his hair was being messed up also, and, most of all, Mithos and Kratos were being a huge pain in causing him to go out and look for them! 

_"Hello...? I'm not even a baby-sitter! And I have absolutely no intention of doing so! It's mainly because of Mithos why I probably hate kids... not my fault." _

_

* * *

_

"Kratos! There you are!" Mithos' voice rang out from somewhere in the forest as he ran out into a open path to find Kratos, crouching on the ground.

"..." Kratos didn't reply as he looked further down in the bushes.

Mithos blinked a couple of times, "uh... hey! I called you, you know! I know you're not deaf!"

"Mithos, be quiet." He demanded as he reached out for something through the bushes, and pulled something out.

There was a long pause.

"What the heck is that animal!" Mithos shouted.

* * *

"You sure they weren't there...?" Martel questioned, the tone of concern visible clearly. 

"I never said I was sure... I just couldn't find them. The storm's a lot stronger than I expected it to be." Yuan explained, sighing in the process.

"Well, I'm not surprised. In fact, you encouraged Mithos to stomp out of the cabin..."

Yuan sighed again, "I'm sorry, Martel."

Suddenly, a knock was heard from the door. Yuan nearly jumped out of his chair in surprise, due to the sudden noise. He walked over to the door, motioning that he would take care of it, and that she should continue with the cooking.

He lifted his bang, which was literally clinging to his skin for being so damp and wet. With his other hand, he reached out to the door and opened it... only to be met by Mithos' yelling.

"Martel, guess what we found!"

Martel turned around in surprise, nearly dropping the cooking utensil she was holding, "... what did you find?"

"A proto-whatchamacallit."

"Protozoan." Kratos corrected, and Mithos turned to him, placing his hands by his side.

"Whatever, **human**."

"Mithos!" Martel silenced, looking down at her younger brother in disbelief.

Yuan sighed, "you can never tell what kids are going to say these days."

* * *

It was indeed a protozoan. It was in one of its earlier stages, and it would take a long time before it completed its 'evolution'. That was what Kratos had reached out for back in the forest. It was this creature's whining that had somehow reached the human's ears. It seemed impossible, but there was a feeling that had made the auburn haired man to rush into the forest. 

"So... can we keep it, Martel?" Mithos asked, giving a rather 'convincing' and 'innocent' glare.

"Well, uh...," she rolled her eyes as her brother's glare became even more unbearable, "oh, okay... but I'm going to leave the tending to Kratos. I believe it is his desire as well, since he found him."

Yuan sat down next to Kratos, who had wrapped a blanket around the protozoan to keep it warm, "so... what are you going to name it?"

"Noishe."

"Why that? Rhymes with Noise." Yuan answered, as Mithos sat onto a chair also.

"Because I thought of it." He spoke proudly.

Kratos sighed, "only part of it. You were the one that thought up with the oddest names in the world."

Yuan couldn't help but at the least, muffle his laugh. But it was clear that he was trying to hide a **huge** laugh. Being a bit humiliated by Yuan's actions, Mithos grabbed his ponytail and pulled on it. Hard.

"Ow! Mithos! That hurts!"

"You deserve it, you piece of-"

"Please cut it out!" Martle's voice rang in the cabin as she dropped her utensil and looked up at the two, argumental half-elves.

She sighed. Shaking her head, she went back to cooking, and Mithos allowed his grip on Yuan's hair to loosen. Taking the opportunity, the blue-haired half-elf picked himself up and went a distant away from Mithos, to make sure his hair was 'safe' from the 'rebellious brat', as so how he called him. This was one of the many reasons why he disliked Mithos so much, and one of the other reasons to dislike kids along with it. It was his wonder why he didn't end up like his sister; gentle, and loving. In fact, Mithos was the complete opposite to him.

_"Rebellious brat!"_

_

* * *

_

It had been a few days ever since Kratos had found Noishe, and he had proved himself useful. He made it easier for transporting one of the companions, when they were wounded, tired, or just plain crazy for a ride. He was also a play-mate with Mithos, whenever he wasn't training. However, Kratos was most attracted to the creature, considering that he was the one who usually washed him, fed him, and all of those 'motherly' traits. Mithos volunteered in some of the activities, for he found it rather 'fun'.

"Hey, Kratos, when's Noishe going to be fed again?" Mithos asked as he walked up to the swordsman, with Noishe trailing right behind the blonde haired boy.

"In just a few minutes." The magic swordsman answered, flipping the page of a book that Yuan had given him, since he had read it about twenty times.

"Then can I?" He was given a nod as a reply, and he 'rejoiced', as he ran off with Noishe again.

"He really loves that protozoan, doesn't he? It would be hilarious with the look on his face if that creature ever turned into a human right before his eyes. But the disappointing thing is, protozoans practically take forever to grow up to be one." Yuan's voice reached itself into Kratos' ears, and the mercenary raised his head up to see him.

Yuan looked down at him, "enjoying the book?"

"Indeed. It is rather interesting. I can see why you read it about twenty times."

"I have many other books like that. I'll lend them to you, later."

Kratos replied with another nod, and the blue haired half-elf walked off, towards Martel.

"Just look at him. I haven't seen him so happy in so many... months." Martel explained, watching her younger brother play as Yuan sat down next to her.

"I guess. Noishe is also good within combat. That makes it even better; it's like having a fifth companion." He replied, looking up at the scenary of the boy and protozoan.

Martel nodded, "Noishe has been very good to us, no?"

"Mm-hmm..." Yuan muttered as he jumped up from his 'seat', to dodge a fire ball, performed by the one and only Mithos.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to." He spoke in a taunting way and sarcastic tone as Yuan clenched his fists.

_"If Martel wasn't here, you would be facing **hell **right now, Mithos. You hear me! Hell!" _He screamed in his mind, containing his anger as he sat back down next to Martel.

"I wonder... if it's time to feed you yet...?" Mithos spoke to himself as he reached out for Noishe's food, "I'm sure it is!"

"Whine, whine, whine. Whine."

"Too bad I can't understand what you're saying... oh, well!" The half-elf replied as he poured a small portion of food from the bag, "enjoy!"

* * *

"Those were good times, Noishe... good times," a voice spoke in a darkness of a night as a whine was heard, "Martel and Mithos is dead, Yuan's location is unknown... and myself, I'm leaving to Derris-Kharlan." 

"Whine!"

Kratos petted Noishe gently, "take care of Lloyd for me."

* * *

**Authoress Notes: Not my best work. And, that was... a corny ending. In some of the parts, they might've been out of character, I am aware of. Well, hope you enjoyed it...**

**Review Response:**

**Ark Navy - I don't blame you on the quotations and all that; it was a one shot. I'm not sure about the evolution, but thanks for the quick list. **


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